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MINISTERIAL ORDER No. (4) OF 2007
WITH RESPECT TO MODEL FORM OF CONSTITUTION OF
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CLUBS SUBJECT TO THE SUPERVISION OF MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

The Minister of Social Development,
having examined Article (5) of the Law of Social and Cultural
Societies and Clubs, Associations Carrying on Youth and Sports
Activities and Private Organisation s promulgated by Legislative
Decree No.21 of 1989, as amended by Legislative Decree No.44 of
2002,

And Order of the Minister of Labo ur and Social Affairs No.(1) of
1990 with respect to the Model Form of the Constitution of Social
and Cultural Societies and Clubs Subject to the Supervision of the
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs,

HEREBY ORDERS THE FOLLOWING:

Article 1

The form attached to this Order shall be approved as a model form of the
Constitution of Social and Cultural Societies and Clubs subject to the
supervision of the Ministry of Social Development in accordance with the
provisions of Law of the Social and Cult ural Societies and Clubs, Associations
Carrying on Youth and Sports Activities and Private Organisations promulgated
by the aforesaid Legislative Decree No.21 of 1989.

The Societies and Clubs referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be guid
ed
by this model form upon drafting their co nstitutions, taking into consideration
the use of the word “club” instead of “s ociety” wherever it appears in the model
form where the matter relates to one of th e clubs, after making all the necessary
alterations.

Article 2

Ministerial Order No.(1) of 1990 with respect to the model form of the
constitution of social and cultural societies and clubs subject to the supervision
of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs shall be revoked.

Article 3

This Order shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall come into effect
from the date of its publication.
Signed: Dr. Fatima bin Mohamed Al Balooshi,
Minister of Social Development.
Issued on: 29
th Thulhijja, 1427 Hijra,
Corresponding to: 18
th January 2007 AD.

MODEL FORM OF CONSTITUTION OF
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CLUBS SUBJECT TO THE SUPERVISION OF MINISTRY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1

There has been established in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the year —– a Society
under the name of (————————–) and was registered according to the
provisions of the Law of Social and Cult ural Societies and Clubs, Associations
Carrying on Youth and Sports Activities and Private Organizations promulgated
by Legislative Decree No.(21) of 1989, as amended by Legislative Decree No.(44)
of 2002 and the Ministerial Orders issued for its implementation.
Article 2

The Society shall be registered with the Ministry of Social Development
according to the provisions of Minister ial Order No.(2) of 1990 with respect to
Organising a Register for the Registration of Social and Cultural Societies and
Clubs Subject to the Supervision of the Mi nistry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The Society’s juristic entity shall be est ablished from the date of publishing its
registration in the Official Gazette.
Article 3

The Society’s headquarters and legal domicile shall be situated in —————–
——-, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Article 4

The Society shall be legally represented by its Executive Committee Chairman

or the person acting on his behalf appointed by a resolution of the Executive
Committee.
Article 5

The Society shall not engage in politics nor shall it involve itself in spec
ulative
activities involving funds. The Society shall observe public order and morals,
undertake in all its activities to safeguard the well-being of the State, form of
government or its social system.
Article 6

The name of the Society, address of its headquarters, registration number, and
logo, if any, shall appear in all its books, records and publications.

Article 7

The Society shall not be affiliated to, participate in nor join a society,
association, club or union based ou tside the Kingdom of Bahrain without
obtaining the prior permission of the Mini stry of Social Development to this
effect.
CHAPTER TWO
SOCIETY’S OBJECTIVES,
WAYS OF IMPLEMENTATION AND SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES

Article 8

The Society aims to promote the following objectives within the limits of the
laws enforced in the Kingdom of Bahrain:

1. ————————————————————————
————-.

2. ————————————————————————
————-.

3. ————————————————————————
————-.

4. ————————————————————————
————-.

5. ————————————————————————
————-.

6. ————————————————————————
————-.
Article 9

The Society aims to promote its objectives within the limits of the law enforced
in the Kingdom of Bahrain by the following methods:
1. ————————————————————————
————-.

2. ————————————————————————
————-.

1. ————————————————————————
————-.

2. ————————————————————————
————-.

3. ————————————————————————
————-.
Article 10

The Society aims to promote the following activities:

1. ———– 2. ————— 3. —————— 4. ———–

CHAPTER THREE MEMBERSHIP
Article 11

A Society member shall fulfil the following conditions:
a. He shall not be less than eighteen years of age.

b. He shall be a resident of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
c. He shall be reputed for his good conduct and behaviour and shall not
have been convicted for any felony or crime affecting his honour or
integrity unless he has been reinstated.
d. ————————————————————————
————-.
e. ————————————————————————
————-.

Article 12

Any person wishing to join the Society shall complete the application form
prepared for this purpose and submit it to the Committee’s Secretary. The
Committee’s secretary shall refer the memb ership application to the Executive
Committee at its first meeting after the membership application has been
submitted and the Executive Committee sha ll decide within one month whether
to accept or reject the application.
Article 13

An applicant shall be given a notice in writing of the Executive Committee’s
decision within two weeks from the date of adopting such decision and the
reasons in case of rejection.

Applications which have been rejected by the Executive Committee may not be
reconsidered except after the lapse of at least three months from the date of
adopting the rejection decision.
Article 14

Any member who wishes to resign from th e Society shall tender his resignation
to the Secretary indicating the reasons for his resignation.

The Secretary shall refer the resignatio n application to the Executive Committee
within a month after receiving it to discuss the reasons of the member’s
withdrawal and the idea of dissuading him before the resignation is decided
upon. If the resigning member rejects the Executive Committee’s opinion
dissuading him from resigning, the resi gnation shall be deemed to have been
accepted.

A resigning member shall pay all the subscriptions due from him together with
any other financial obligations due to the Society.
Article 15

The Executive Committee may pass a resolu tion dismissing any member from
the Society after hearing his statement in the following cases:

1. Violating the Society’s Consti tution or internal regulations.

2. Violating the legitimate resolution s of the Society’s General Assembly or
the Executive Committee.

3. If he embezzles the Society’s funds or forges its seals, documents or correspondence.

4. If he defames or causes libel to the name of the Society, any of its
members or its Executive Committee.

5. If he fails to pay his subscription fees without a reasonable excuse in spite of serving a notice upon him to make payment.

4. Passing a criminal judgement affectin g his integrity, honour or morals
unless he has been reinstated.

The dismissal decision shall only be enforced with the approval of a two third
majority of the Executive Committee members and the member shall be given
notice of the Executive Committee’s decision of dismissal within two weeks from
the date of adopting it.
Article 16

A member against whom a dismissal d ecision has been adopted may appeal
against such decision before the Gene ral Assembly at its first ordinary or
extraordinary meeting and the General Assembly’s decision shall be final.

The Executive Committee’s Secretary shall no tify the member in writing of the
decision within two weeks from the date of adopting it.
Article 17

Membership shall be deemed forfeited in any of the following events:

1. Death.
2. Resignation from the Society.
3. Forfeiture of any of the membership conditions set forth in Article (11)
hereof.
4. Dismissal.

Article 18

A Society member shall carry out the following:

a) To comply with the Society’s co nstitution, internal regulations and
resolutions of the General Assembly and Executive Committee.

b) Pay the membership and subscription fees according to the Society’s financial regulations.

c) Implement the objectives through participation in the Society’s programmes and activities.

d) ————————————————————————
————-.

e) ————————————————————————
————-.

f) ————————————————————————
————-.
Article 19

A Society member has the right to the following:

a) Attend the General Assembly’s meetings, discuss and vote on the topics
included in the agenda.

b) Receive the Society’s membership card showing his name, profession,
address, age, date of joining, memb ership number, CPR number and any
other particulars.

c) Obtain a copy of the Society’s Constitution.

d) To benefit from the facilities provided by the Society for its members on
the professional or social levels.

e) To obtain the Society’s circulars and publications.

f) To have access to the Society’s records, documents and correspondence
at the times sanctioned by the Executive Committee. Such access shall
take place at the Society’s headquarters and in the presence of the
person in charge.

g) ————————————————————————
———.

h) ————————————————————————
——–.

CHAPTER FOUR
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Article 20

The General Assembly shall be consider ed as the supreme authority of the
Society, define the Society’s policy, see to its implementation and its resolutions
shall apply to all its bodies, committees and members.
Article 21

The General Assembly shall consist of all the active members who have paid
their dues according to the Society’s Co nstitution and have been members for
at least six months period except for the Society’s first meeting.
Article 22

The General Assembly shall convene it s ordinary meeting once every year
within three months from the end of the financial year at its head offic
e.

The Executive Committee may summon the General Assembly to convene a
meeting in another place.

The Executive Committee shall indicate in the summons for such a meeting the
date and place of convening the Gene ral Assembly meeting, the proposed
agenda, the attached documents and shall notify the members at least two
weeks before the date of the meeting.

The General Assembly shall not discuss matters that are not on the agenda
except with the approval of the majo rity of the General Assembly members
present.
Article 23

The meeting of the General Assembly sha ll only be considered valid if the
absolute majority of the active member s are present. If the quorum is not
obtained, the meeting shall be postponed for a second meeting to be held within
a period of no less than —- days from th e date of the first meeting. The second
meeting shall be valid if the number of those present is not less than one third
(1/3) of the Society’s General Assembl y members. If the quorum is not
obtained, the meeting shall be postponed for another meeting to be held within
a period of ————— and shall be consider ed valid if 10% of the members are
present.

If the quorum is obtained at the beginni ng of the meeting, the resolutions shall
not be affected by the withdrawal of less than one half of the active members
present.
Article 24

The General Assembly shall call an extraordinary meeting In the following

cases:

a) At the request of the Executive Committee.

b) At the written request of at least one third of the General Assembly members, who have the right to attend.

c) At the invitation of the Ministry of Social Development.
The summonses for the meeting shall indicate the purpose of the meeting and
the subjects listed on the General Assembly’s agenda.
Such meeting shall be validly convened if the procedures set forth in the
Constitution for other General Assembly m eetings as regards the time and place
of convening it and the required quorum, are complied with. Article 25

The Ministry of Social Development shall be notified of all the General Assembly
meetings at least fifteen days prior to each meeting with a copy of the
summons, agenda and documents atta ched thereto. The Ministry may
designate any officer it wishes to nominate to attend the meeting.

The Ministry shall be furnished with a copy of the minutes of the General
Assembly meeting within fifteen days from the date of such meeting. The said
minutes shall contain the resolutions adopted at the meeting.
Article 26

The resolutions of the General Meeting sh all be passed by the majority of votes
of members present. However, for resoluti ons to be valid they shall be passed
by a two-third majority of the votes of the General Assembly members with
respect to dismissing a member, an am endment of the Society’s Constitution,
deciding to dissolve the society or removing the Executive Committee members
from office and with regard to the merg er of the Society with another, its
division or setting up branches thereof.
Article 27

A member of the General Assembly may gi ve a written proxy to another member
to attend the General Assembly on his behalf. A member may appoint no more
than one member to act as his proxy, which shall be personal, confirmed and
approved by the Executive Committee. Th e proxy shall not include voting or
dismissal of one or all the me mbers of the Executive Committee.

Article 28

A Society member representing himself or acting on behalf of another may not
take part in the discussions of the General Assembly Meeting nor shall he cast
his vote in respect of a matter referred th ereto if he has a personal ‘interest in
the matter subject to the di scussion or the resolution.

Article 29

The ordinary meeting of the General Assembly shall have the power to review
the following topics:

1. Discussion and approval of the reports and proposals of the Executive Committee and sub-committees and expressing views about them, if
necessary.

2. Review and approve the Society’s annual balance sheet for the following
year.

3. Reviewing and approval of the Society’s final accounts.

4. Reviewing the reports of the Executive Committee for the activities of the year just ended.

5. Appointment of an auditor and fixi ng his remuneration according to the
provisions of Article (48) of this Constitution.

6. Election of the members of the Executive Committee for the first time or whose membership has been dissolved or expired.

7. Any other business which the Executive Committee deems fit to be included in the agenda.
Article 30

The Extraordinary General Assembly shall have the power to review the
following:

a) Amendment of the Society’s Constitution.

b) Merging the Society with another society carrying on the same objectives, division thereof or setting up branches therefore.

c) Dismissal of some or all the Executive Committee members.

d) Voluntary dissolution of the Society.

e) Any other matters which are specified by the party calling for the convention of the Extraordinary General Assembly meeting.
CHAPTER FIVE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Article 31

The Executive Committee is the highest executive authority in the Society. It
shall implement the policy drawn up by the General Assembly and the

resolutions adopted thereby for the realisation of the legitimate objects of the
Society.

The Executive Committee shall run the affairs of the Society. For this purpose,
it shall be empowered to carry out any act other than these provided for
in the
Society’s Constitution that they shall on ly be done after securing the consent of
the General Assembly.

The Executive Committee shall carry out the followings

1. To draw up the framework for the Society’s overall policy.

2. To prepare various plans and pr ogrammes for accomplishing the
Society’s objectives.

3. To lay down the Society’s regulati ons in accordance with its Constitution.

4. To review the incoming reports and the Society members’ suggestions
and take proper action concerning them.

5. To prepare the Society’s annual balance sheet and the final account.

6. To prepare the Society’s annual activity report.

7. To form the necessary sub-commi ttee to implement the Society’s
objectives and to encourage members to join the different sub-
committees.

8. To prepare and distribute circul ars, booklets and the necessary studies
for realising the Society’s objectives..

9. ———————————-.

10. ———————————-.
Article 32

The Executive Committee shall consist of ——– members to be elected by the
General Assembly from its members for a renewable term or terms of two years
by a secret ballot.
Article 33

An Executive Committee member shall fulfill the following conditions:

1. He shall enjoy his civil rights.

2. He should not be an Executive Co mmittee member of a society proven to
be responsible for committing violat ions which led to its dissolution
before the lapse of five years from the date of resolution for the
dissolution thereof.

3. ———————————.

4. ———————————.

5. ———————————.
Article 34

It shall not be permitted to combine between membership of this Society’s
Executive Committee and Committee member ship of another society carrying
on similar activities except by a special permission from the Ministry of Social
Development.

It shall not be permitted to combine between e membership of the Executive
Committee and working as a salari ed employee in the Society.
Article 35

Members of the Executive Committee shall elect from amongst them a
Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretar y and a Treasurer at the Committee’s
first meeting by a secret ballot and sh all carry out the following duties:

a) Chairman

He shall be the Society legal repr esentative towards third parties, chair
the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly,
jointly sign the minutes with the Secretary, and shall jointly with the
Treasurer sign the cheques, payment vouchers and financial documents,
sign decisions for the dismissal of members, supervise all the Society’s
activities and shall decide on urgent matters which may not be delayed,
provided that these matters are re ferred to the Executive Committee for
approval at its next meeting.

b) Deputy Chairman

He shall have all the Chairman’s powers during his absence, and the Executive Committee has the right to de legate to him certain permanent
financial, administrative or technical powers,

c) Secretary

He shall prepare the agendas for the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly and shall sign the minutes jointly
with the Chairman. He shall supervi se, keep and carry out the Society’s
clerical duties, prepare correspondence, files, records, books, documents
and contracts.

d) Treasurer

He shall manage the Society’s fu nds, maintain financial records,
revenues and expenditure, deposit the funds in a licensed bank, make
payments as per vouchers jointly sign ed by him with the Chairman, take
receipt of the subscription fees and regi ster them in the records, keep the
financial documents involving financial obligations for or against the
Society, ensuring the reconciliation of revenues and expenditure
according to the provisions of the fina ncial regulations. He shall prepare
a monthly report to the Executive Committee regarding the financial
position on the basis of its revenues and expenditure and shall keep a
certain amount as petty cash accordin g to the regulations of the Society.
Article 36

The Executive Committee may form sub-co mmittees from amongst its members
or others, and shall specify the number of members of each subcommittee, its
functions and powers so as to refer the results of their studies and research
work to the Executive Committee to take action concerning them.
Article 37

The Executive Committee shall regularly meet once ——– and its meetings
shall be considered valid if the majo rity of its members are present and the
Secretary shall prepare the agendas of all the Executive Committee meetings
and present them to the Chairman to decide what he deems fit. The Secretary
shall serve the summonses upon the members at least one week before the
meeting.

The resolutions of the Executive Committee shall be valid if they are passed by
the majority of the members present and in case of a tie, the Chairman shall
have a casting vote.
Article 38

The Executive Committee shall convene an extraordinary meeting upon the
summons of the Chairman or upon the request of at least one third of the
Committee members for deliberation over specific issues and such meeting
shall not discuss any other matter not included in the agenda.

The Ministry of Social Development may request the convention of the
Executive Committee meeting if this is deemed necessary.
Article 39

If a member of the Executive Commi ttee is absent from the Committee’s
meetings three times successively or six intermittent meetings without an
acceptable excuse, such member shall be considered to have resigned from the
Executive Committee. If an office on the Executive Committee becomes vacant
due to the death, resignation or remova l of any member, the alternate member
who wins the majority of votes shall fill the vacant office for the remaining term.

The term of office of the new member shall complete that of his predecessor
to
the end of the term.

If the member whose office is to be filled has won the office unopposed, the
Committee may continue in being to the end of its term without appointing a
successor for him, provided that the nu mber of members who vacate their
offices for the aforesaid reasons should not exceed one third of the Committee
members or the matter should be referre d to the General Assembly to elect a
successor for the member or members whose offices have been vacated.

Article 40

The Executive Committee shall be dissolved if one third of its members resign
en masse or if the remaining members ar e less than one half of the members.

In these two cases the General Assembly shall be summoned for an
extraordinary meeting to elect a new Executive Committee to complete the term
of its predecessor.

The Ministry of Social Development shall take the necessary measures to
summon the General Assembly within a mo nth from the date of dissolution,

Article 41

The Executive Committee shall keep at the Society’s headquarters the following
records and books:

1. Members Register in which the name of each member, surname, nationality, occupation, date of birth, date of joining and his CPR number
is recorded.

2. Minutes of meetings of the Executive Committee which shall be signed by the Chairman, Secretary and all the members present.

3. A minute book of the General Assembly meetings.

4. A record of the revenues and expenditure.

5. A bank account book.

6. A standing advance account book.

7. A membership fee register.

8. A record for all properties, mova ble assets or any other items held in
custody of the Society, a summary descr iption of each, price paid for and
the day bought, location, member in-c harge, his title and his address.
Also to be recorded will be every change or alteration which may occur
thereto.

The Executive Committee, if necessary, shall add additional information to the
current information in the aforesaid manner.

The Executive Committee may maintain other records and books which are
required for proper pursuit of its business.

Each page in the records or books should be numbered and stamped by the
Society’s seal before use. All the record s, books and files should be updated.
Article 42

The Executive Committee may appoint a dir ector from amongst its members or
from non-members and shall delegate th ereto the power to handle any of the
Executive Committee’s affairs.

The appointment of a director may take place against the payment of a
remuneration to be determined by the Executive Committee. In this case, the
director shall be deemed to have resi gned from the Executive Committee should
he be a member thereof.
CHAPTER SIX
SOCIETY’S FINANCES
Article 43

The Society’s revenues shall consist of:

1. Joining fees paid by the member af ter registration or re-registration.

2. Membership fees.

3. Donations and contributions approved by the Ministry of Social Development.

4. Revenues from fairs and charity baz aars held by the Society or in which
it takes part. Prior approval from the authorities concerned is a must.

5. Earnings and interest arising from the investment of its funds according
to the applicable laws and regulations in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

6. ————————————————————————
———–.

7. ———————————————————————
————–.
Article 44

The Society shall not receive funds from a foreign person nor from a foreign
organisation and should not remit any of the abovementioned to persons or
organisations abroad without a permissi on from the Ministry of Social
Development except for the sums which are remitted for the cost of books,
circulars, technical and scientific publications.

Article 45

The Society’s financial year shall commence on 1
st January and shall end on
31
st December in every year.
Article 46

The Chairman and members of the Executive Committee shall be held
responsible, each in his respective capa city, for the Society’s funds and for any
act which may contravene the provisions of the Society’s Constitution, internal
regulations and resolutions of the General Assembly.
Article 47

The Executive Committee shall draw up financial regulations governing the
ways and means whereby funds are spent or deposited. It shall also determine
the membership and subscription fees and the amount which the Treasurer
shall maintain as a permanent advance for spending in emergencies and such
other matters.

Such financial regulations shall not be considered effective unless approved by
the General Assembly.
Article 48

The Executive Committee shall refer the Society’s balance sheet to the General
Assembly after they are approved by a ll the members upon being reviewed and
endorsed.

If the expenditure or revenues exceed BD10,000 (Bahrain Dinars ten thousand),
the Executive Committee should present the balance sheet to a licensed
chartered accountant alongwith the supporting documents to review and
provide their report to be submitted at least one month prior to the General
Assembly’s annual meeting.

The Executive Commitee shall present the next year’s budget proposal to the
General Assembly for approval. Copies of the final account, the balance sheet,
Auditors and Executive Committee’s reports should be included in the
summons to members who have the right to attend the General Assembly
meeting. The aforesaid documents should be displayed in a prominent place in
the Society’s premises fifteen days prio r to the General Assembly meeting and
should stay there until they are approved.
Article 49

The Society’s cash funds shall be deposited in a licensed bank in the Society’s
official name. The Ministry of Social Development shall be notified of such and
shall be notified if the bank is changed within one week from the date of such
change.

Any amount may be withdrawn from the bank by a cheque to be jointly signed
by the Chairman and the Treasurer or whoever acts on their behalf by a
resolution of the Executive Committee.
Article 50

The Society’s funds shall not be spent unless sanctioned by the Executive
Committee and for the Society’s purposes according to the provisions of the
financial regulations and the Constitution.

In emergency cases, payment may be ma de by an order of the Chairman and
without a prior approval of the Executi ve Committee, provided that the matter
shall be referred thereto at its next meeting accompanied by the reasons thereof
and documents supporting the expenditure.
Article 51

The Society’s funds, whether in cash or in kind, including membership fees,
subscriptions, donations, contribution s and others are considered the sole
property of the Society. A Society member, or any other person whose
membership is forfeited for any reason or his heirs shall have no claim thereto.
Article 52

The General Assembly shall elect the auditors from those nominated by the
Executive Committee, taking into considerat ion the provisions of Article (48) of
this Constitution and the General Assembly shall fix their fees. In the first year
of the Society, the Auditor shall be elected by the members at their first meeting
as a General Assembly.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SOCIETY’S MERGER, DIVISION,
SETTING UP BRANCHES THEREOF OR DISSOLUTION
Article 53

The General Assembly may decide to merge with a society or other societies
seeking to accomplish similar objects and it may divide the society and set up
branches thereof in accordance with the provisions of Article (30) of this
Constitution.

The General Assembly’s decision to merge the Society or divide it or set up
branches thereof shall not be enforced unless recorded in the Register
maintained for this purpose with the Ministry of Social Development and
published in the Official Gazette.
Article 54

The Society may be dissolved voluntarily in accordance with the provision
s of
Articles (26 and 30) of this Constitution if it appears to be incapable of
accomplishing the objects for which it ha s been established or if the number of

the Society members falls to a level which makes it impossible to contin
ue its
activities or for any such other reasons.

The General Assembly’s resolution for the Society’s voluntary dissolution shall
not be enforced unless recorded in the Re gister maintained for this purpose at
the Ministry of Social Development and published in the Official Gazette.
Article 55

A Society may be dissolved arbitrarily and it may be closed on a temporary
basis for a maximum period of (45) days by a resolution of the Minister of Social
Development in the following events:

a) If it is proved that it is unable to realise the objects for which it has been
set up.

b) If it disposes of its properties in areas other than these intended therefore
according to its objects.

c) If it is not possible to convene its General Assembly meeting for two
consecutive years.

d) If it commits a serious breach of the law or if it contravenes public order
or morals.

The decision of the Minister of Social Development for dissolution or temporary
closure shall be notified to the Society by a registered letter which shall be
recorded in the register maintained for th is purpose at the Ministry and shall be
published in the Official Gazette.

The Society and every interested person may contest the decision for
dissolution or temporary closure before the High Civil Court within (15) days
from the date of publishing the said decision in the Official Gazette. The
provisions of Articles (56, 57 and 58) of the Constitution shall be applicable in
the case of arbitrary dissolution of the Society.
Article 56

The members of the Society which has been dissolved as well as the officer
s in
charge of administering it and its employ ees shall be prohibited from continuing
its activities or disposing of its proper ties upon learning of the dissolution
thereof.

In addition, no officer shall participate in the activities of the Society after the
publication of the dissolution d ecision in the Official Gazette.
Article 57

If a society has been dissolved, the Minist ry of Social Development shall appoint
a liquidator therefore and shall determi ne the period and remunerations for
carrying out his duties. The officers in ch arge of the Society’s administration

shall take steps towards handing over to the liquidator all the documents and
records of the Society upon request. They, the bank, in which the Society’s
funds are deposited, and the debtors sh all be barred from handling any of the
Society’s affairs or its rights except by a written order from the liquidator.
Article 58

Upon the completion of the liquidation, the liquidator shall distribute the
properties remaining to the following associations which carry on the sa
me
activities as these of the Society.

1. ————————————-.

2. ————————————-.

3. ————————————-.

If the distribution method of the So ciety’s properties proves impossible, the
Ministry of Social Development shall d ecide the social organisations to which
such properties shall go.
CHAPTER EIGHT
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 59

The resolution of the General Assembly amending the Society’s Constitution
shall not be considered valid unless record ed in the Register maintained for this
purpose at the Ministry of Social Devel opment and published in the Official
Gazette.
Article 60

The Society shall appoint employees or workers on a permanent or temporary
basis, pay their salaries or remune ration according to the Executive
Committee’s decision and subject to the guidelines laid down by the financial
regulations and according to the Labour Law for the Private Sector promulgated
by Legislative Decree No.( 23) of 1976, as amended.
Article 61

The Society shall amend this Constitution in accordance with the legislation
and amendments to such legislation con cerning Social and Cultural Societies
and Clubs subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Social Development in
the future.
Article 62

In case of any confusion or obscurity in the interpretation of any provisions of
this Constitution, the Executive Commi ttee shall refer the matter to the
Ministry of Social Development for interpretation and clarification.

SCHEDULE

1. The number of the Society’s founder members shall not be less than 10
persons if they are natural persons.
2. No person shall be allowed to participate in the setting up of the Society if
he is convicted of a felony affecting his honour of integrity unless he has
been reinstated.
3. The Ministry of Social Development shall examine an application for the
registration of the Society upon an ap plication to be filed therewith within
thirty days from the setting up of the Society. The said application shall
be accompanied by the following:
a. Two copies in Arabic of the Society’s Constitution signed by all the
founder members. The original copy of the Constitution shall be
attached if it is made in a foreign language.
b. Two copies of the minutes of the meeting of the steering Committee
comprising the founder members, provided that their names,
occupations, residential addresses and signatures shall be shown
on the said minutes.
c. A registration fee of BD10.

4. The Ministry of Social Development shall proceed with the registration
formalities within sixty days from the da te of the application. The lapse of
this period without effecting the regist ration or notifying the applicant of
the rejection of the application shall be deemed as an implicit rejection of
the application for registration.

5. The Ministry of Social Development shall have the right to reject the
registration of the Society if the community does not require its services
or the existence of another Society or other societies which fulfill the
requirements of the community in the ar ea of the required activity or if
its setting up is not compatible with Society’s headquarters or the
premises used for carrying on its acti vities from the hygienic or social
aspects or if the Society has been set up with the intent of reviving
another Society that was previously dissolved.
6. The Ministry of Social Developmen t shall notify the applicant for
registration by a registered letter of its decision to reject the registration
of the Society and reasons for the rej ection within the time limit referred
to in Clause (4) of this Schedule.
7. The parties concerned may file an a ppeal with the Ministry of Social
Development against the explicit or implicit rejection of registration
within 60 days from the date of re ceiving the letter referred to in the
preceding Clause or after the lapse of the period of time without

completing the registration or notifying the applicant for registration of
the rejection of the said application.
8. The Ministry of Social Development shall resolve the appeal by adopting a
substantiated decision with in sixty days. The lapse of this period of time
without a response from the ministry to the appeal is tantamount to the
dismissal thereof.
9. Every person whose appeal against th e non-registration of the Society
may challenge the decision for dismissa l of the appeal within sixty days
from the date of becoming aware thereo f or after sixty days from the filing
of his appeal without receiving a re ply thereto from the Ministry. The
challenge shall take place by virtue of a legal action to be filed with the
High Civil Court.
10. If it is proved to the Minister of So cial Development that the election of
the Society’s Executive Committee has b een illegal due to its violation of
the Society’s Constitution or the Law, he shall be empowered to revoke
such election. In this case, the elections shall be held once again
according to the Society’s Constitu tion within a maximum of one
month from the date of revocation of the elections.
11. The Minister of Social Development shall be empowered to appoint by a
substantiated decision and for a fi xed period a temporary manager or
Executive Committee for the Society to discharge the powers vested in
the Executive Committee pursuant to the Constitution of the Society if
the number of Executive Committee members becomes insufficient for
the proper and valid convention th ereof or if the General Assembly
meeting is not convened for two successive years without an excuse
which is acceptable to the Ministry of Social Development or if the Society
commits such violations that neces sitate this course of action.

12. The temporary manager or Executive Committee shall call the general
assembly to be convened at least one month before the expiry of the term
fixed in the decision adopted for th e appointment thereof. At the said
meeting, he/it shall submit a detailed report about the state of the
Society. At the same meeting, the general assembly shall elect the new
Executive Committee after following the procedures with regard to the
nomination of Committee members. If the necessary quorum is not
available at this meeting, the provisions of Article (23) of this constitution
shall be applicable.
13. The Minister of Social Development shall be empowered to decide to bar
the former members of the Executive Committee who have been proved
liable for the violations that requir ed the appointment of a temporary
manager or Executive Committee from nominating themselves for
membership of the new Executive Co mmittee for a maximum period of
three years.
14. In case of the issue of a decision for the appointment of a temporary
Executive Committee or manager, it shall be prohibited for the Executive

Committee as well as the employees thereof to handle any of the affairs of
the Society upon notifying them of the Committee. The Society’s
Executive Committee members or the employees thereof shall proceed
with handing over to its manager all the properties of the Society,
records, books and documents. The Society’s employees shall maintain
its management, documents and properties until they are handed over to
the temporary Executive Committee. Their hand-over to the temporary
manager or Executive Committee of the Society’s prop erties shall not
prejudice their established liability according to the provisions of the
Law.
15. The Minister of Social Development shall be empowered to decide the
merger of more than one Society seek ing to achieve similar objects or to
amalgamate the management there of or to modify its objects in keeping
with the community’s requirements for the realization of coordination of
services offered or for such other reason which he deems adequate for the
proper attainment of the objects for which it has been established. Due
regard shall be given for this purpose to the wishes of the founder
members, objects of the Society, type of services it offers and the merger
shall be decided by virtue of substantiated decision defining the manner
of carrying out the merger. It shall be notified to the parties concerned
upon the issue thereof and shall be recorded in the register maintained
for this purpose at the Ministry of Social Development and be published
in the Official Gazette. Representatives of the Society which has been
merged shall proceed with handing o ver all the properties and documents
thereof to the new Society after the merger. The Society shall not be
answerable for the obligations of th e Society involved in the merger
except to the extent of the funds and rights transferred from these
societies on the merger date. The pr ovisions of clause (14) of this
schedule shall apply to the Executive Committee of the merged Society or
the office bearers and employees thereof.

16. A Society may be dissolved arbitrar ily and it may be closed on a
temporary basis for a period of no more than 45 days by a resolution of
the Ministry of Social Develop ment in the following events:
a. If it is proved that it is unable to realize the objects for which it has
been set up.

b. If it disposes of its properties in areas other than these intended
therefor according to its objects.

c. If it is not possible to convene its General Assembly meeting for
two consecutive years.

d. If it commits a serious breach of the law or if it contravenes public
order or morals.

The decision of the Ministry of Social Development for dissolution or
temporary closure shall be notified to the Society by a registered letter
which shall be recorded in the Register maintained for this purpose at

the Ministry and shall be published in the Official Gazette. The Society
and every interested person may contest the decision for dissolution or
temporary closure before the High Civil Court within 15 days from the
date of publishing the said de cision in the Official Gazette.

The provisions of Articles 55, 56 and 57 of the Model Form of the
Constitution shall be applicable in th e case of arbitrary dissolution of the
Society.

17. The officers of the Ministry of Social Development who are designated for
this purpose by the Minister shall have the right to inspect the activities
of the Society and to have acces s to its records, documents and
correspondence to ascertain their compliance with the Law, the Society’s
Constitution and resolution s of the General Assembly.
18. The Ministry of Social Development shall be empowered to suspend the
execution of any resolution adopted by the bodies in charge of the
Society’s affairs if it contravenes the Law or the Society’s constitution or
the public order or morals. The Society and every interested person may
contest the decision of the Minister for suspending the execution thereof
before the High Civil Court within sixt y days from the date of becoming
aware thereof or from the date of notifying it.
19. In the drafting of the Society’s Co nstitution, the founder members shall
be guided by this model form of the constitution according to the terms
and conditions set forth in Ministerial Order No.(4) of 2007. The founder
members may add the detailed provisions they deem appropriate
provided that they shall not conflict with the provisions of Legislative
Decree No.(21) of 1989.
20. The Ministry of Social Development shall review the draft Constitution
submitted by the founder members and the Ministry shall be entitled to
make the amendments it deems fit.
21. The objects of the Society referred to in Article (8), the methods of
realizing the objects referred to in Ar ticle (9), and the activities of the
Society referred to in Article (10) sha ll be defined in the light of what the
founder members may find appropriate.
22. There shall be added to Article (11) the conditions which the founder
members deem fit to be fulfilled by a member of the Society.
23. The Society’s membership may be divided into active membership,
associate membership and honorary membership. In a Clause to be
added to Article (11), the founder me mbers shall stipulate the terms and
conditions to be fulfilled for a ssociate membership and honorary
membership, subject to the condition that an active member shall have
the exclusive right to nomina tion, election and voting.

24. The founder members shall add to Article (18) and (19) the duties and
rights of members as the founder members consider appropriate.

24

25. The first period referred to in Article (23) shall not be less than eight days
and shall not be more than fifteen days from the date of the first meeting
and the second period shall not be less than one hour and shall not be
more than fifteen days as may be fixed by the founder members.
26. The founder members shall add to Article (31) the powers to be vested in
the Executive Committee as they deem fit.
27. The members of the Executive Committee referred to in Article 23 shall
not be less than five and shal l not be more than twelve.
28. There shall be added to Article (33) the condition which the founder
members deem fit to be fulfilled by a member of the Executive
Committee.
29. Upon the drafting of Article (35), there shall be stipulated that the
election of the office bearers on the Executive Committee shall be directly
made by the General Assembly. The title of financial secretary may
replace the designation of treasurer.
30. Article (37) shall fix the time for holding the Executive Committee
meeting. It is preferable to hold a Committee meeting at least once in
every month.
31. The founder members shall add to Article (43) the appropriate items of
which the Society’s revenues consist.
The subscriptions referred to in the preceding Article may be paid on a
monthly or annual basis and shall be determined as may be deemed fit
by the founder members.

32. The founder member shall specify in Ar ticle (58) the Society (Societies) to
which the funds and properties of the Society shall devolve after
liquidation.
33. The Ministry of Social Development shall be referred to seeking its views
as to any provision of this Model Form that may be ambiguous.

Note: The above translation is unoffi cial. The Arabic original is the
recognized text for the legal purpos es. No part of this translation
may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means
without the prior permissi on of the publishers.